Fishermen defend boats close to shore

CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Some fishermen in Carolina Beach are defending their boats after some surfers brought up concerns.

Tuesday, Carolina beach surfer Bobby Small told us he’s seen fishing boats very close to the shoreline this summer.  He thinks there should be some kind of regulation to keep them a certain distance away, because he is concerned they are attracting sharks closer to the shore.

Fisherman Jeff Smith said he was one of those boats close to the shore recently, because of a weekend fishing competition. He said there should not be a concern, because fishermen are not bringing sharks closer to shore. He said sharks will be where bait is.

“The fishermen that are in catching bait, if you’re talking about sharks, the bait is already in on the shore,” Smith said. “The sharks are with the bait. They don’t follow the boats in. When a boat comes in to catch bait, they probably scare the sharks off more so than bringing any in.”

Smith also said fishing boats do not go past the breakers. The town manager and marine fisheries both said there are no laws against fishermen coming within a certain distance from the shoreline.